* The only hexagram in the I Ching to directly address eclipses is hexagram 36, called "Eclipsing the Light."

* Hexagram 36 tells the story of an evil tyrant who had seized governmental power.

* The tyrant was insane, ruthless, vindictive, selfish, and not able to listen to any good counsel or advice.

* The true king had been tossed into prison by the tyrant, as was anyone else who was truly virtuous or who disagreed openly with the tyrant, or whom the tyrant suspected.

* For these reasons the hexagram is sometimes called "brilliance injured."

* The structure of the hexagram shows earth above and fire below, a picture of the setting Sun or the Sun being eclipses and hidden below the earth.

* The situation shows hardship, a time when real goodness must hide or go underground, bide its time, wait, demonstrate patience, tact, secrecy, trust, and secret hope.

* In order to avoid setting the tyrant off, the hexagram says that the real King stayed intensely strong within but on the outside he made himself to appear gentle and submissive, almost weak.

* The hexagram also tells the story of one of the tyrant's relatives feigning insanity. The relative had the chance to leave as an exile, to flee, or to remain and be executed if he showed any disagreement with the tyrant. Instead, the relative (the tyrant's uncle) pretended to be insane so as to avoid an impossible situation.

* Line 5 tells us to be like the Uncle who feigned insanity in order to escape the tyrant's maddness: "his brilliance could not be extinguished."

* A solar eclipse in the sign of Leo is about leaders, about the insanity of leaders, about light and about those who would try to extinguish or snuff out the light. It's about truth and it's about hiding from the truth. It's about leaders and dynasties and it's about the transformation of leaders and dynasties. It's about power and it's about the abuse of power. It's about our brilliance and our light and it's about times when we have to hide that light or learn to be humble.

* The transformed hexagram is #42, called "Increasing," or "Expansion."

* The hexagram depicts wind over thunder, which is an image related to the support and doubling of dynamic, fast-paced change and growth.

* In this hexagram what is above, or high up, in charge, in authority, or in power, is decreased in order to increase that which is below, as in the heavens pouring out the rain in order to increase the growth of plant life below.

* Within the context of this sequence, we see the political climate quite perfectly. The leader is insane. The light in the government is eclipsed. Brilliance is injured, but not extinguished. Soon, a time will come when what is high up will be diminished in order to feed and expand what is below.

* On the other hand, hexagram 42 also points to a general time in which, after waiting or biding one's time, after hiding, after working modestly or humbly over a long period of time, after being forced to hide or protect one's light, expansion, opportunity, blessings, and growth finally arrive.

* Remember that increase and decrease are cyclical, according to the I Ching. The real victory depicted in this sequence is the diminishment of something that has had an unhealthy amount of power or control over us.

An astrologer I really appreciate told me recently, given the president's chart, that this eclipse could signal impeachment, imprisonment, death or serious illness, or war leading to massive resistance or protest that could overthrow the presidency. Any of these situations are potentially depicted in this sequence and by the astrology. Enough has been said about the eclipse in relationship to the political situation, and to the president's birth chart, but sure enough, this is what the I Ching presented to me this morning as I sat to meditate on tomorrow's eclipse.

Remember that eclipses do not always present their full meanings on the actual day of an eclipse. The day of an eclipse is sometimes uneventful compared to the days and weeks of the lunar cycle ahead of it, which in this case sends us toward the final Jupiter/Uranus opposition in September!​Prayer: Diminish whatever is unhealthy above, in order to increase what is below. Bless us... so that we might grow toward you: downward and inward, and upward and outward.

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Adam Elenbaas is a professional astrologer and the founder of the Nightlight Astrology School. Adam holds an MA and MFA in English and Creative Writing and is one of the founding writers at RealitySandwich. To learn more about Adam, click here.